I'm interested to see how the safety position shapes up. There are quite a few top 10 safeties who could be on the market and that is a possible area to target. Although if someone like Goldson or Byrd get mega contracts then the bump in market value could hinder the chances of the Pats getting one of the second tier guys like William Moore should he hit the market. Ed Reed is another guy to keep an eye on.

I think the pick up a WR in FA. Looking at Belichick's MO the guy that stands out to me is Hartline from the Dolphins. He isn't going to break the bank like Bowe or Wallace, plus he's pretty young and has done damage against the Pats in recent years.

CB looks really thin right now but I would be surprised if either or both Talib and Arrington weren't back, thus negating the big need, plus the CB market isn't overwhelming this year.

I think a guy like Jason Jones could be brought in for the DT rotation.

As for our own guys, I think either or both Welker and Edelman will be back. I think Woodhead will also return. Vollmer is a tough one. He may garner top 5 OT money on the open market. I'd hope Thomas is brought back as well because the o-line depth has taken a hit

Dashon Goldson has also expressed great admiration for BB and it still kills me they let him leave the building before singing him before. Either Reed or Goldson would be unbelievable, especially if they can resign Talib then pick up someone like Trufant, Poyer or Rhodes in the draft. That secondary would just be sex on wheels

Giant man-puppy Rob Gronkowski has been in New Orleans all week, enjoying the Super Bowl festivities. Yesterday, he swung by the SportsCenter set to tell us that he hates being injured "to the max," and then he made one little kid's year by dropping $100 on a glass of lemonade. Once Gronk was finished being hilarious and melting hearts, though, he returned to his comfort zone: being shirtless and drinking beer.

The picture above comes from a Reddit user, who claims that it was snapped last night at a bar called Bogie's in Baton Rouge. It should be noted that Baton Rouge is about 80 miles away from New Orleans, which would mean that Gronk went well out of his way for this particular night of college-town partying. While nursing a broken arm, no less. We can't help but admire his determination.

Just put together a Patriots roster in Word. What's everyone thinking for free agency?

I broke this down in the draft thread a few weeks ago. Basically, they don't have much choice in the matter of signing their own guys.

Woodhead, Edelman, Welker, Vollmer, and Talib are all high priority free agents.

The RFAs should be brought back because Fletcher fills a huge role that the Pats will need going into the season and Hoomanawanui is a very underrated all-around TE. I wish they'd used him more in the passing game. He can get downfield and brings more to the table than he was used for.

Arrington should probably be brought back despite a bad year. He's experienced and the Pats can't trust Dowling to stay healthy to provide solid depth. White and Koutouvides would probably have to depend on what happens with the draft, but neither brings much outside of special teams.

btw, you're missing Kyle Love.

WR, S, and CB are the positions that need to be addressed the most in the draft. It'd be nice to be able to think about DT or DE, but the Pats are "good enough" in those areas (and you hope that Jones, Cunningham, and Bequette take leaps forward).

edit: Just had an interesting thought: What if NE receives a 3rd round compensatory pick (next year) for Talib? Give up a 4th, get a player, and get the rights to the compensatory pick from him being a FA...

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edit: Just had an interesting thought: What if NE receives a 3rd round compensatory pick (next year) for Talib? Give up a 4th, get a player, and get the rights to the compensatory pick from him being a FA...

An interesting thought. I'd wager the compensatory pick voodoo formula includes some kind of clause that would prevent that. Otherwise Tampa would have been better off keeping him and taking the comp pick instead of a late 4th.

Anyone else feel like NE should use some of their cap space to make a big play for Jarius Byrd?

I don't. We have McCourty playing FS right now, and he looked pretty good doing that. He has great range, he's an awesome tackler and plays a lot more disciplined than Byrd. I really don't see the great need for a safety this offseason.

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I liked alot of things I saw from Tavon Wilson. He had plenty of mistakes but that's expected from a rookie safety, especially in BB's defensive schemes. I wouldn't be upset at a big splash in FA (safety or otherwise *cough* WR *cough*) if it happened, though.

I don't. We have McCourty playing FS right now, and he looked pretty good doing that. He has great range, he's an awesome tackler and plays a lot more disciplined than Byrd. I really don't see the great need for a safety this offseason.

The problem isn't McCourty. It's the man next to him. Chung is a FA. Steve Gregory isn't that good. Tavon Wilson had his moments, but also struggled some. Nate Ebner is a ST.

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How much cap space do they actually have when you consider the guys they have to re-sign?

Not a lot. They will struggle to resign the big 3. My guess is they get a deal with Welker, Franchise Vollmer and let Talib walk. That way they can resign Edelman and Woodhead. After that, without some reconstructions they will only be able to afford some low level options